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Tuesday, March 31, 2009

The 730d model is only available for the European market and its 3.0liter diesel engine develops an output of 180 kW/245 hp at an engine speed of 4,000 rpm.

Maximum torque of 540 Nm or 398 lb-ft at just 1,750 rpm. Compared with the former model, the new BMW 730d thus offers an increase in power by 10 kW or 14 hp on 10 per cent less fuel. The average fuel economy is around 32MPG.

The model tested by Richard was priced at £57,310.

Review

What’s it like driving a luxolimo? Very nice indeed. Those who say big cars don’t have a place anymore need to live with one. No, you don’t need the space most of the time. Yes, it is rather decadent, taking up so much road space. Certainly, there’s just as much room in a £35k-cheaper Ford Mondeo.

But with big cars come big indefinable benefits. It’s heavy, so is able to waft where smaller, lighter cars are irritable. Think big cruise liner as opposed to choppy speedboat. There’s much more space to soak up nice and disturbance at speed, too. Side winds are simply ignored. Ambient conditions? An irrelevance. The list goes on.

What do we like?Lots. The seats are huge. The dash is huge. The centre arm rest is massive. Getting into ’smaller’ cars, such as a Honda Accord, feels a real step down in comparison. Incidentally, I stepped into the Accord, to prove one of the 7’s many contradictions. Big cars needn’t be thirsty ones.